Greens Propose Tax on Tech Giants to Fund Public Services
The Greens party in Australia is pushing for a tax on major technology companies, aiming to use the revenue to expand Medicare coverage to include dental services and provide cost-of-living relief.
According to a Parliamentary Budget Office analysis, companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon collectively generate over $26 billion in annual revenue from Australian operations. The Greens are proposing a ‘Big Tech Tax’ – a 3 percent tax on any revenue exceeding $20 million earned from digital services within the country.
These digital services encompass advertising, online marketplace services, cloud services, social media, and user data. The proposal targets companies with over €750 million (approximately $A1.2 billion) in global revenue.
From 2022 to 2023, Google’s revenue in Australia exceeded $8.7 billion, with Amazon close behind at $6 billion. Microsoft and Uber each earned more than $2.9 billion during the same period. The Greens estimate that this tech tax could generate $11.5 billion over the medium term.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the Greens Communications spokesperson, emphasized that the generated funds “could be invested in essential public services, like (adding) dental into Medicare and cost-of-living relief.” She stated, “Companies that trade in Australia need to pay tax on the money they make in Australia. These big foreign-owned corporations make huge profits off Australians and resist regulation at every turn. It’s time they paid their fair share of tax.”
Senator Hanson-Young noted that Australia would not be the first nation to implement such a tax. “At least 12 other countries already have a Digital Services Tax, including the UK, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Portugal,” she explained. “We know this works overseas, and it can work here.”
She further asserted that the move would confront billionaires and large tech companies that derive substantial profits from Australian data. “We need to stand up for our national interest against Donald Trump’s billionaire oligarchs like Zuckerberg, Musk, and Bezos,” she said. “It’s time the tech giants and the billionaire tech bros paid their fair share back to the Australian community. A digital services tax is the first step in reining in the astronomical power that big tech companies currently wield. Not only are they making super profits, they are harvesting and selling the personal data of millions of Australians and ripping off Australian journalists and creators. With a power sharing parliament likely, the Greens will push for this policy after the election.”
